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   http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/?issue=2014-07-02   
      
   The ARRL Contest Update   
      
   July 2, 2014   
   Editor: Ward Silver, NOAX   
      
   IN THIS ISSUE   
    *  World Radiosport Team Championship 2014 - At Last!   
    *  Digital auf Deutsch - DL DX RTTY   
    *  WRTC2014 - Real-Time Scoreboard Online   
    *  ERTC2014 - A Virtual WRTC from Europe   
    *  WRTC Webinar   
    *  RTTY Roundup Results Released   
    *  Small But Mighty Coax   
    *  Ten Free Software Tools   
    *  WRTC2014 - It's For You, Too!   
      
   NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DO   
      
   The biggest event out there for you is, of course, WRTC2014 which runs in   
   parallel with the IARU HF Championship. The upcoming two-week period also   
   has a large number of short CW and digital "sprints" lasting from 30 minutes   
   to 6 hours. Find one to fit your schedule and give it a try!   
      
   BULLETINS   
      
   The RTTY NS Sprint Contest will continue including 15 meter operation into   
   September. (Thanks, N6RO)   
      
   BUSTED QSOS   
      
   Nothing out-of-line in the previous issue was reported.   
      
   CONTEST SUMMARY   
      
   Complete information for all contests follows the Conversation section   
      
   July 5-6   
      
    *  CWops Weekly Mini-CWT Tests (Jul 3)   
    *  MI QRP July 4th Sprint--CW (Jul 4)   
    *  070 Club 40 Meter Firecracker PSK31 Sprint   
    *  DL DX RTTY Contest   
    *  DARC 10 Meter Digital Corona   
    *  OK1WC Memorial Contest   
    *  QRP ARCI Summer Homebrew--CW   
      
   July 12-13   
      
    *  IARU HF World Championship   
    *  ARS Spartan Sprint--CW (Jul 8)   
    *  NS Weekly Sprint--CW (Jul 11)   
    *  FISTS Summer Sprint--CW (Jul 11)   
    *  Straight Key Weekend Sprintathon   
    *  CQC Great Colorado Gold Rush--CW   
      
   NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTEREST   
      
   After four years of preparation, it's time for the teams to go head to head!   
   Don't miss the fun as WRTC returns to the United States.   
      
   Organizers of the 2014 World Radiosport Team Championship have announced   
   that there will be a live scoreboard for tracking the team standings during   
   the event on July 12-13. The Live Scoreboard will be directly accessible   
   online or from a link on the WRTC2014 website. The site uses responsive   
   design principles to provide maximum usability on desktop, tablet, and   
   mobile platforms.   
      
   The scoreboard uses an innovative data collection method developed by Dave   
   Pascoe, KM3T and Bob Raymond, WA1Z. Each WRTC2014 team will be using   
   networked computers to log the contest. The score collection system will   
   "sniff" the network traffic to obtain the latest score and QSO breakdown   
   information. This data will be transmitted by cellular modem every five   
   minutes back to the score processing web site.   
      
   Previous WRTC events used manual score submissions on an hourly basis. This   
   will be the first to use automation to present scores in near real-time. The   
   web site will show the scores of all teams ordered by score. The team's band   
   breakdown, hourly rate sheet, and position for each hour of the contest will   
   also be available. A leader board page will list the top five teams by CW   
   contacts, SSB contacts, multipliers, and points per QSO. Another innovation   
   is the ability to select multiple teams and compare their scores on a graph   
   vs time. This will reveal how the fortunes of teams change over the 24 hours   
   as they follow their various strategies for building their score.   
      
   Here's a call from the Wayback Machine - Rob Ford was a famous British   
   operator who was assigned to Lhasa, Tibet after WWII. This fine story from   
   the Western Washington DX Club's Totem Tabloid newsletter by Robert KD7H   
   tells the tale.   
      
   Teams will be shown by the calls of the team members rather than their   
   over-the-air call sign. This is done to maintain fairness by keeping the   
   team identity behind each call sign a secret. The teams are not allowed to   
   identify themselves over the air except by their competition call sign.   
   ____________________________________________________________________________   
      
   While you're at WRTC or maybe visiting New England in the future there is   
   "lots of other radio/electro-geek history in the area, " such as the Marconi   
   and Maritime Center in Chatham, although the original Marconi station is   
   nearly lost to erosion.   
      
    *  Reginald Fessenden's tower base in Brant Rock from which the first voice   
       transmission was made.   
    *  Location in Boston where Alexander Graham Bell made the first telephone   
       call   
    *  Birthplace of Ted McElroy, world's fastest telegrapher)   
    *  MIT Radiation Labs site of so much radio and microwave innovation during   
       WWII   
    *  And in Connecticut, the 1BCG site at which the Radio Club of America   
       assembled an all-star station and team, becoming the first to conduct a   
       two-way trans-Atlantic QSO. (Thanks, Doug K1DG)   
      
   Force 12 / InnovAntennas America reports doing land-office business during   
   the first part of this year with 198 orders equaling the Force 12 bookings   
   from all of 2013. Bill AA7XT acknowledges the surge in orders took them by   
   surprise. As much as he regrets anyone having to wait for their antenna,   
   however, the backlog is steadily being eliminated, having filled 82% of all   
   orders as of June 30. The new XR Series of Yagis designed by Justin GOKSC   
   are doing quite well and the goal is to build up inventory to support   
   same-day shipping of XR-3, XR5-T, and XR6 antennas. To that end, two new   
   permanent factory staff are on the job in Grand Junction, CO under the   
   supervision of factory manager, David McKay.   
      
   The public preview period for the CQ WW DX Contest rules for 2014 ended on   
   July 1 but you can see the proposed rule changes on the CQ WW blog of CQ WW   
   Director, Randy K5ZD   
      
   For those of you who remember the legendary W3CRA site, Bill W4ZV once   
   created a model for the site and evaluated it using HFTA. His discussion   
   includes some interesting anecdotes and photos as well as the HFTA results.   
      
   Ever wonder where the phrase "The Deserving" came from or perhaps who   
   invented the Big Bass Bongo? Wonder no more because The West Coast DX   
   Bulletin is back! Written by the legendary Hugh Cassidy WA6AUD, the   
   bulletins are now available for everyone to enjoy online including very   
   issue from Volume 1 number 1 up to and including the very last issue from   
   1979. Made available by the Northern California DX Club, the collection will   
   be moved to its permanent home in the W6CF Memorial Library at the   
   California Historical Radio Society in Alameda, CA. (Thanks, Rusty W6OAT)   
      
   After a bit more than four years, the NCDXF-IARU Beacon 4U1UN has resumed   
   transmitting. The beacon was deactivated during the UN HQ Building   
   renovation and was put back on the air Wednesday, June 18 by James K2QI, the   
   4U1UN station manager and President of the UN Amateur Radio Club. If you are   
   not near a radio, you can see NCDXF Beacon System activity on the Reverse   
   Beacon Net system. (Thanks, Steve K6UM)   
      
   Louis Frenzel W5LEF's Electronic Design blog, Communiqu‚, discusses the   
   booming business of Do It Yourself electronics and its effect on encouraging   
   students to take an interest in STEM careers. Sounds a lot like ham radio,   
   doesn't it?   
      
   Recently, backyard photographers have been observing gigantic red sprites   
   flickering over the USA. These electrical discharges, which occur high above   
   thunderclouds, resemble enormous jellyfish and their glow can often be seen   
   hundreds of miles away. One specimen highlighted recently on the Space   
   Weather website would dwarf Mt. Everest, reports the photographer, Thomas   
   Ashcraft. It would be interesting to see whether sprites sometimes   
   masquerade as sporadic E clouds and if meteor scatter communication via   
   sprites has any identifiable characteristics distinguishable from true Es.   
      
   Barry W6YE discovered this Dutch website called the Cryptomuseum. The site   
   includes a lot of information on old radios, spy sets, and you can even   
   order a kit to build your own Enigma machine!   
      
   Web Site of the Week - In parallel with WRTC, a European team has created an   
   online "virtual" competition, the European Radiosport Team Championship   
   (ERTC). 100 young operators will be traveling to Finland to take part in   
   Youngsters On the Air (YOTA) on July 19-20. A new gateway to ham radio for   
   people accustomed to the online environment, the event is held under the   
   auspices of the European Union and IARU Region 1 during the weekend   
   immediately following WRTC 2014.   
      
   For the ERTC event, teams of young hams from fifteen European countries will   
   get together to compete under WRTC-like rules. The only difference is that   
   equipment and technology will be harmonized to an even greater extent than   
   at the present-day WRTC as the games take place locally but in Virtual   
   Reality within a framework which is exactly the same for all teams and which   
   allows participants to concentrate fully on the secrets of operating   
   prowess. But how about understanding the behavior of radio propagation on   
   various bands? Not to worry since the ERTC platform simulates existing   
   VOACAP-based propagation profiles on a real-time basis. This knowledge   
   remains real even in Virtual Reality.   
      
   A virtual WRTC will make it easier to deal with logistical requirements; you   
   only need to have access to sufficient Internet bandwidth. In a virtual   
   environment, it is possible to set up e.g. qualifying races with no need to   
   establish 50 radio stations for the purpose of singling out the teams that   
   will ultimately enter the actual serious race. This kind of "ERTC radio   
   game" is also in line with the need to reach out to young people comfortable   
   in their own element as a potential source of newcomers to the wonderful   
   world of Amateur Radio. The Finnish team at Radio Arcala (OH8X) has drafted   
   a roadmap for the revitalization of Amateur Radio based on the concept of   
   linking the past with the present and the future. (Thanks, Martti OH2BH)   
      
   WORD TO THE WISE   
      
   AC - who or what are the AC stations you might work during the IARU HF   
   Championship contest? They are the IARU Administrative Council stations that   
   count as multipliers along with the HQ stations. You'll also find stations   
   handing out the R1, R2, and R3 multipliers from all three ITU regions.   
      
   SIGHTS AND SOUNDS   
      
   Randy Thompson, K5ZD, one of the organizers of WRTC2014, will provide a WRTC   
   2014 Preview in an online webinar. It's an opportunity to look behind the   
   scenes at the work that has been going on to prepare for this Olympiad of   
   Amateur Radio. Randy will preview the week's schedule, the teams, the   
   competition, and what you can do from home to join in the fun. A few   
   competitors and other organizers may drop in as well. (Thanks, Ken K4ZW)   
      
   Check out K1DG's (operating WR1TC) historic QSO with Princess Elettra   
   Marconi (operating KM1CC) a few days ago! But will she QSL? (Thanks, Randy   
   K5ZD)   
      
   RESULTS AND RECORDS   
      
   Several new items are available from the ARRL Contest Branch: Jeff WK6I's   
   writeup of the RTTY Roundup results are online. 10 Meter Contest line scores   
   have been created by writeup author, Scott K7ZO. And Bob K3PH has   
   contributed updated records for both modes of the ARRL International DX   
   Contest. Thanks to these volunteers who support the ARRL contest program.   
   PDFs of QST writeups are also being uploaded to the ARRL's Contest Results   
   Articles web page.   
      
   Answering several recent inquiries about availability of results from the   
   2014 GA QSO Party, complete results and a list of plaque winners are   
   available on the GQP website. Any questions should be sent to the GA QSO   
   Party Manager, Norm, WA4ZXV. (Thanks, John K4BAI)   
      
   The Oceania DX (OCDX) contest committee is pleased to announce that the   
   results of the 2013 OCDX contest are now available. The organizers report a   
   notable increase in the number of logs from Australia in the CW section, and   
   from Indonesia, New Zealand and other countries in Oceania in both the Phone   
   and CW sections. Certificates are now downloadable, as well, and the full   
   list of records since new scoring rules were implemented in 2001 has also   
   been published. (Thanks to the Oceania DX Contest committee of VK3MI/ZL1AZE,   
   VK3TZ, ZL3GA, VK7GN, VK2HN, and VK6DXI)   
      
   OPERATING TIP   
      
   Don't - in this case meaning "Don't log it!" One mark of a seasoned operator   
   is knowing when not to log a QSO. When unsure of the call or exchange, ask   
   for a repeat or ask the station to call later, but don't put a questionable   
   QSO in your log and risk a penalty, no matter how juicy the multiplier might   
   be!   
      
   TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATION   
      
   Larry WOQE recommends RG-400/U for coaxial cable connections inside   
   amplifiers where larger cable might not fit. It's about .200" diameter, PTFE   
   dielectric, stranded (silver plated copper) center conductor, braid (silver   
   plated copper) outer conductor, reasonably flexible, takes extreme heat and   
   no problem with legal limit power even at 10:1 VSWR. Another option is   
   RG-142 which is the same size as RG-58 and is rated at 30MHz and 1:1 SWR to   
   handle 3.1 kW of average power.   
      
   In many areas, it is not a good idea to use aluminum wire to expand your   
   ground system due to corrosion loss of the aluminum metal in direct contact   
   with the soil. Aluminum is very electronegative compared to most other   
   metals and will become sacrificial as a buried component in your ground   
   system. In fact, aluminum is sometimes intentionally used as a buried   
   sacrificial anode for cathodic corrosion protections systems. (Thanks, Matt   
   KM5VI)   
      
   As more and more of us take our operating to the highways and byways, the   
   automotive environment just gets more and more complex for electronics. This   
   EDN article on the subject makes for some thought-provoking reading.   
      
   Larry WOQE recommends RG-400/U for coaxial cable connections inside   
   amplifiers where larger cable might not fit. It's about .200" diameter, PTFE   
   dielectric, stranded (silver plated copper) center conductor, braid (silver   
   plated copper) outer conductor, reasonably flexible, takes extreme heat and   
   no problem with legal limit power even at 10:1 VSWR. Another option is   
   RG-142 which is the same size as RG-58 and is rated at 30MHz and 1:1 SWR to   
   handle 3.1 kW of average power.   
      
   Wow - an amplifier with one of these 3400 F (not æF, but F) supercapacitors   
   in the filter section would sure have a pure dc supply. But the bleeder   
   resistors would take forever to discharge it! (Point of order - it's only   
   rated at 2.85 V.)   
      
   From the Electronic Design magazine website, here's a handy function   
   generator circuit that does triple duty: square, triangle, and sine waves.   
      
   Just about the time we think vacuum tubes might finally be on their way out,   
   another application of "field emission technology" (aka - "steam radio")   
   makes its appearance. In this case, as a high-speed transistor operating in   
   the THz region!   
      
   Ham radio operators - devices for turning coffee into contacts, of course!   
   And what do we do with the coffee cans? Put stuff in them, of course! This   
   project from Instructables shows a new way to put all those empties to work.   
      
   Get ready to trim those dipoles because the speed of light is not quite what   
   we thought!   
      
   The WRTC committee reports that Stu, K6TU, has created hourly propagation   
   forecast maps for the WRTC2014 teams. These are computed for July, SSN 80,   
   and the WRTC2014 antennas and heights in central MA. And they work in   
   reverse, too! Stu's propagation prediction service is also available to home   
   stations.   
      
   Technical Web Site of the Week - More free tools for the technically minded   
   are listed in the EDN online article "10 Free Math Analysis and Design Tools   
   for Engineers."   
      
   CONVERSATION   
      
   WRTC2014 - It's For You, Too!   
      
   Four years after WRTC2010 in Moscow, WRTC2014 is almost here. A week before   
   the event, as this newsletter hits the Internet, competitors and visitors   
   are already on their way to Boston. The WRTC2014 team, consisting of nearly   
   500 volunteers, is hard at work putting into place what has been carefully   
   planned and rehearsed. The Opening Ceremony is one week away on July 10th.   
      
   Even though most of the Contest Update readership will be at home when the   
   starting gun fires at 1200 UTC on July 12th, WRTC is for everybody. In this   
   international competition, you can do much, much more than just cheer. Like   
   all radiosport, the success of these events depends on there being as much   
   widespread participation as possible from stations just like yours.   
      
   Let's get this party started! Begin with these easy ways to get up to speed:   
      
    *  Watch the 5 minute WRTC2014 intro video.   
    *  Watch the "pregame" webinar on Sunday, July 6, at 1800 UTC.   
    *  Read the profiles of the WRTC2014 participants - have you worked them   
       before?   
    *  Ham Nation visits with WRTC2014 on Wednesday evening, July 9, at 9 PM   
       EDST.   
    *  Watch the Opening Ceremony and other social events.   
      
   Feeling that WRTC spirit, yet? Ready to get on the air and have some fun?   
   Get on the air and work the teams during the IARU HF Championship!   
      
    *  Each contact with a WRTC2014 team earns 5 points for the ARRL Centennial   
       QSO.   
    *  Join the "WRTC2014 Chase" to work all 59 teams or the most band modes.   
    *  Keep an eye on the live scoreboard during the contest.   
    *  Quick! Send your Cabrillo-formatted log to iaruhf@arrl.org within six   
       hours - become an Assistant Judge!   
      
   Finally, after you've cleaned up the shack and gotten back to regular life,   
   you can watch the video of the Closing Ceremony to see who won.   
      
   This is the most-connected WRTC yet. We've followed the event as it grew   
   from the 22 teams visiting Seattle in 1990, to the West Coast six years   
   later in San Francisco, sailed over the Atlantic to Slovenia in 2000 and   
   Finland in 2002, across the Equator in 2006 to Brazil, and in 2010 to the   
   plains of Moscow. After 18 years, as it returns to the United States, you,   
   too, can be a member of the WRTC family. We'll be listening for you - don't   
   miss the chance to be part of it!   
      
   73, Ward NOAX   
      
   CONTESTS   
      
   July 2 through July 15   
      
   An expanded, downloadable version of QST's Contest Corral in PDF format is   
   available. Check the sponsor's Web site for information on operating time   
   restrictions and other instructions.   
      
   HF CONTESTS   
      
   IARU HF World Championship--Phone,CW, from Jul 12, 1200Z to Jul 13, 1200Z.   
   Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST and IARU zone. Logs due: 30 days. Rules   
      
   CWops Weekly Mini-CWT Tests--CW, from Jul 3, 1300Z - See website. Multiple   
   time periods. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Weekly on Wednesday, 28 to 38 kHz above   
   band edge. Exchange: Name and member number or S/P/C. Logs due: 2 days.   
   Rules   
      
   MI QRP July 4th Sprint--CW, from Jul 4, 2300Z to Jul 5, 0300Z. Bands (MHz):   
   1.8-28, 50. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, and QRPMI number or power. Logs due: 30   
   days. Rules   
      
   070 Club 40 Meter Firecracker PSK31 Sprint--Digital, from Jul 5, 8 PM to Jul   
   6, 2 AM. Bands (MHz): 7. Exchange: RST and S/P/C. Logs due: Jul 19. Rules   
      
   DL DX RTTY Contest--Digital, from Jul 5, 1100Z to Jul 6, 1059Z. Bands (MHz):   
   3.5-28. Exchange: RST and serial. Logs due: Aug 9. Rules   
      
   DARC 10 Meter Digital Corona--Digital, from Jul 6, 1100Z to Jul 6, 1700Z.   
   Bands (MHz): 28. Exchange: RST, serial. Logs due: 14 days. Rules   
      
   OK1WC Memorial Contest--Phone,CW, from Jul 6, 1630Z - See website. Multiple   
   time periods. Bands (MHz): 3.5, 7. Weekly on Monday, see website for bands.   
   Exchange: RS(T) and serial. Logs due: 5 days. Rules   
      
   QRP ARCI Summer Homebrew--CW, from Jul 6, 2000Z to Jul 6, 2359Z. Bands   
   (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, QRP number or power. Logs due: 14 days.   
   Rules   
      
   ARS Spartan Sprint--CW, from Jul 8, 0200Z to Jul 8, 0400Z. Bands (MHz):   
   3.5-28. Monthly on the first Monday evening. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, and   
   power. Logs due: 2 days. Rules   
      
   NS Weekly Sprint--CW, from Jul 11, 0230Z to Jul 11, 0300Z. Bands (MHz):   
   1.8-14. Exchange: Serial, name, and S/P/C. Logs due: 2 days. Rules   
      
   FISTS Summer Sprint--CW, from Jul 11, 2000 EDT to Jul 11, 2400 EDT. Bands   
   (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, name, FISTS number or pwr. Logs due: 30   
   days. Rules   
      
   Straight Key Weekend Sprintathon--CW, from Jul 12, 1200Z to Jul 13, 2359Z.   
   Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Exchange: RST, QTH, name, member nr if member. Logs   
   due: 5 days. Rules   
      
   CQC Great Colorado Gold Rush--CW, from Jul 13, 2000Z to Jul 13, 2159Z. Bands   
   (MHz): 14. Exchange: RST, serial, category, CQC member nr. Logs due: 30   
   days. Rules   
      
   VHF+ CONTESTS   
      
   MI QRP July 4th Sprint--CW, from Jul 4, 2300Z to Jul 5, 0300Z. Bands (MHz):   
   1.8-28, 50. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, and QRPMI number or power. Logs due: 30   
   days. Rules   
      
   Straight Key Weekend Sprintathon--CW, from Jul 12, 1200Z to Jul 13, 2359Z.   
   Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Exchange: RST, QTH, name, member nr if member. Logs   
   due: 5 days. Rules   
      
   LOG DUE DATES   
      
   July 2 through July 15   
      
    *  July 5 - CWops Mini-CWT Test   
    *  July 7 - AGCW VHF/UHF Contest   
    *  July 7 - Alabama QSO Party   
    *  July 7 - Stew Perry Topband Challenge   
    *  July 7 - Ukrainian DX Classic RTTY Contest   
    *  July 10 - ARS Spartan Sprint   
    *  July 11 - Marconi Memorial HF Contest   
    *  July 13 - WAB 50 MHz Phone   
    *  July 14 - His Maj. King of Spain Contest, SSB   
    *  July 14 - RSGB 80m Club Championship, CW   
    *  July 15 - REF DDFM 6m Contest   
      
      
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   ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS   
      
   ARRL Contest Update wishes to acknowledge information from WA7BNM's Contest   
   Calendar and SM3CER's Contest Calendar.   
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   )\/(ark   
      
   One of the great tragedies of life is the murder of a beautiful theory by a   
   gang of brutal facts. --Benjamin Franklin   
      
   --- FMail/Win32 1.60   
    * Origin:  (1:3634/12.71)